Broken Flame
by kasumi319
Summary: The Vongola's only female guardian may never have found her powers of illusion if not for the tragic crash that killed Nagi and reincarnated her as Chrome. Instead of continuing her life as a semi-normal girl, her flame awakened, for better or for worse. Flames should be born of resolve to protect those you love...but what happens when a girl who has only known pain has this gift?
1. Warning: Hazardous Construction Zone

Warning: Hazardous Construction Zone

"She's adorable to the EXTREME!"

Gokudera winced at the boxer's sound barrier-shattering exclamation and looked again at the squalling infant in his arms. She was screeching and failing in his awkward embrace as if she knew he had no idea what he was doing. He'd tried everything and had finally decided that she was intent on crying until she suffocated.

"What did Gokudera-san do to her desuka!" Haru demanded, snatching the child. "You call yourself a genius…Reborn-san said to take care of her until she gets back to normal! It's not that hard." She cradled the baby closer so only a tuft of blue hair was visible, trying to at least muffle her tantrum.

"Don't blame me stupid woman!" Gokudera growled. "Babies just cry sometimes."

"Men are clueless when it comes to kids. Children need a gentle woman's touch." She smirked and stuck her tongue out at the Italian.

Drawn to the commotion Lambo came bounding in. He spotted the child and a wicked grin spread across his face. He wasn't about to miss a chance to assert his superiority on the rare occasion of finding someone younger and/or weaker than himself.

"Hahaha!" He shouted. "When you grow up you can have the honor of becoming Lambo-sama's subordinate!"

"Shut up you stupid cow!" Gokudera turned his anger on the teen. If Haru could have responded over the chaos of Gokudera's destroyed patience, Lambo gleefully chanting orders to his new "subordinate," the renewed screams of said "subordinate," and Ryohei's booming laughter, she would have pointed out that the bomber just proved her point about not being good at taking care of kids.

"Just because you're not five anymore doesn't mean you're better than anyone else. Plus, who would want to be your subordinate anyway? Even a dumb baby…" Gokudera ended in a grumble, but his words didn't escape Haru's ears and he ended up with a slap on the face anyway. Lambo took the opportunity to escape from the silver haired man, cackling all the while.

The thunder guardian disappeared just in time. Right as the corner of his cow printed shirt was out of sight there was a bang and the ten year bazooka's signature purple smoke engulfed the group.

"Hahi!" Haru spluttered as she tried to stop coughing and wave the pink clouds away at the same time. When the air had cleared she found she was cradling nothing in her arms. "Lal!"

Standing in front of the trio was an enraged, and fully matured, Lal Mirch.

"We're in extreme trouble…" said Ryohei, speaking in less than a shout for what must have been the first time in his life.

"Damn right," she hissed before pouncing on her unfortunate companions.

* * *

Tsuna heard a loud crash from above him followed by cries of alarm and thuds of falling bodies. _They're going to destroy the base before we're done building it_ he moaned inwardly. The family finally started to catch up with the future (_or, present I suppose_ Tsuna thought) and the construction of the underground Vongola headquarters was underway. With the living quarters complete and the second training arena almost fully equipped for different environmental situation training, Tsuna's loyal right hand man and head of this particular project suggested they starting moving the family in so they could get settled faster. Everyone agreed the family would inevitably encounter plenty of complications when it came to getting as much of the family in one place while keeping them all mostly intact.

"The sooner we work out the snags the sooner we can start being productive again," Gokudra had insisted. When no amount of persuasion could motivate the young Vongola boss to willingly face these almost certainly lethal issues before absolutely necessary, the storm guardian pointed out that Tsuna needed to be available on short notice for meetings with his head engineers in the final stages of construction anyway.

_Speak of the devil_ he thought as the dangerous team arrived.

"…effects of…former arocaboleo…fascinating." Giannini was in an animated, one sided conversation with Spanner who nodded indifferently while Irie Shouichi trailed nervously, and somewhat guiltily, behind.

_I don't even want to know!_ Tsuna thought with dread. _I hope it doesn't have something with Gokudera being late…I didn't read any of the paperwork…Reborn will kill me if he finds out I'm clueless. _

"Pay more attention to your family dame-Tsuna." The poor Mafia boss was greeted by his tutor in their classic way: having his face used to mop the floor. "You'd better hope Lal's gotten all her anger out on your friends upstairs. I'd just be worried about Haru…"

Tsuna didn't have time to ask before the badly beating Gokudera stumbled in and collapsed on the floor. Haru ran in after him, perfectly intact, falling to her knees and gasping for air.

"Tenth…" Gokudera choked. He'd managed to hold onto consciousness by sheer force of will, determine to deliver a warning to his beloved boss. "Run…away."

Lal, still in a murderous rage, entered the evolving communications room dragging an unconscious Ryohei. She immediately locked eyes on her new targets. Static from the disconnected flat screens and sparks from loose writes suddenly became a sinister backdrop to the woman's threatening frame. Spanner's lollipop dropped to the floor as his jaw slacked in horror while the other two mechanics squealed. Lal dropped the dead weight of her previous victim in the pile of incapacitated family members she'd begun creating. She started slowly and purposefully towards her new objectives.

_That makes her seem even scarier!_ The non-combatants quaked. They turned to their boss with pleading eyes, but he was already searching frantically for a place to hide.

_Bomb shelter!_ He thought hysterically. _I need to add that to the building agenda!_

_Maybe putting the whole family in the same place wasn't such a good idea. _Tsuna finally realized as the blue haired soldier's gaze froze him. Reborn chose that moment to transform Leon into a little green hang glider and sail away from the impending massacre.


	2. Crumbling

Crumbling

Hollow footfalls sounded in the empty ruins of Kokuyo Land. The only other noise was the slight strain of the plastic of the bulging back that swung from a pale hand. The cracked path the footsteps echoed on was one of the only recognizable man-made structures left. It looked as if the earth was reclaiming the crumbling remains of the former amusement park. An angry forest dragged lofty towers back down into dirt with coiling vines, reconquering what once was nature. Decaying weeds covered shards of glass as if setting a trap for intruders. The wooden enclosure of a timeworn petting zoo rotted quickly in the humidity of summer and unforgiving floods of the rainy season. Splinter by splitter termites devoured the rest. Not that the fence needed to hold firm anymore, the animals had long since been discovered by Ken, then put to use as either snacks or temporary playmates.

The delicate steps halted abruptly in front of a carousel consumed by rust. She didn't know if it was her imagination or if the fantasy creatures really were glaring at her. The one closest to her, a rearing horse, had a tree trunk sprouting from its middle like a tumor. Its eyes didn't seem to be glaring. They looked pleading, afraid. The girl took a hesitant step closer and brushed a purple lock of hair behind her ear.

Suddenly there was a loud crack that sent her stumbling backwards. The lifeless horse had broken open just a little more as the trunk widened ever so slowly.

"It would be less painful if you broke instead of fighting to stay whole while such a force is ripping you apart uma-san," she whispered to the mangled stallion. The longer she looked, the more unnerving its stares become. Scraping her palms as she scrambled back to her feet, the girl tore up the broken path, scattering snacks and a few precious 100 yen coins behind her. She didn't look back as the last coin stopped spinning and clattered to the concrete.

* * *

The remaining inhabitants of Kokuyo land had settled themselves in a collapsed building in the deepest part of the ruin. Ken lounged lazily in the nest he's created for himself to sleep in, Chikusa started blankly at the opposite wall taking silent comfort in the repetitive motion of his yo-yo, and M.M. made up for the lack of noise from the unusually peaceful boys by complaining loudly.

"How long does it take to buy food?" She kicked a moth eaten couch and pounded when it didn't move at all.

"Shut up," snarled Ken. A small tattoo of a cheetah's paw decorated his cheek. "You're not helping. I'm starving to."

"Who cares about an animal like you? A lady needs to eat!" She screeched, rousing the other teen from his trance.

"She's coming how," he pointed out dryly. The other two rushed to a grimy window eager for their long awaited dinner. Chikusa rubbed his temple with his free hand, wishing again he'd forgone meals last week to save up for a CD player. Anything to drown out his moron roommates.

"Stop pushing, byon!"

"Get back in you cage you disgusting—"

"Don't talk to me like—"

"You can't tell me what to do you freak of—"

Over the commotion neither of them heard a timid knock. Chikusa side stepped the escalating situation and nudged open the warped metal door. The girl slipped inside as quietly as she could. She almost succeeded, but the crunching of small animal bones under her bare feet betrayed her. She looked questioningly at Chikusa who only nodded toward the blond. The gang didn't have money for decent food all the time, which is also why shoes were only used for battles.

"Where's the food? You DID go to the store right?" M.M. spat. "We've been waiting forever."

The object of her abuse only fidgeted with her ring, nervously opening and closing her mouth as if she was trying to speak.

"You spent the whole budget on yourself! You little bitch!" M.M. challenged. Chikusa returned to his peaceful corner. Ken made a motion towards the girls, but let out a low growl and turned away after a tense moment.

"Get out of here before I fry your insides," she said threateningly, drawing her clarinet. When the other girl remained frozen M.M. began lifting the instrument to her wicked lips. This time both of the boys responded. Ken stood up. Chikusa looked up from the floor. It was too late though, the three original occupants of the room were the only one there again, with no evidence anyone had ever joined them.

"You went too far, byon! What about Mukuro-san?"

"Haven't you heard?" The red haired girl slithered over to the Ken who was baring his teeth. "Today is the end of his sentence."

* * *

Later that night, in what might as well have been another world, Bianchi, Yuni, and Futa were gathered around the Vongola Headquarters' newly assembled kitchen table.

"Thank you so much for helping me set up!" Kyoko called cheerfully from where she was preparing the evening meal. "Now everyone can eat together for the first time in their new home."

"It was no trouble at all," Yuni assured her as she arranged the last of the silverware in its drawer.

"I'm sorry none of the maintenance team was here to help," Kyoko turned to address Futa. "I think they're all in a meeting now."

"Anything I can do to help," Futa replied, tucking a small screwdriver behind his ear. He'd grown into quite a handsome young man. "After all, Koyoko-san is ranked quite high in the People with the Kindest Hearts list."

A bubbling laugh escaped her lips. "Won't you stay for dinner? I know you have to get back to the external advisors, but I want to give you something for your efforts."

"It would be my pleasure to join you if my traveling companion agrees."

"So polite!" Yuni exclaimed. "I would love to stay a while longer. I didn't only come for the meeting of our allied families, I wanted to visit everyone as well!"

Bianchi remained suspiciously silent until this point. The cheerful laughter of the girls subsided and their eyes turned to her in curiosity. Bianchi put a finger to her lips and plucked a smoldering green cake from the the cooling rack she'd just set down. For a moment, everything was silent.

"Bianchi-san what—?" Bianchi clamped her hand over the boy's mouth just in time to hear a soft rustling coming from the pile of empty cardboard boxes.

"Show yourself." The poison chef demanded loudly. The girls gasped as a small figure materialized before them only to collapse immediately after. The entire party rushed to her side.

"Chrome-chan!"


	3. A True Essence

A True Essence

Warmth. An unusual sensation to the female mist guardian. She'd tried to comfort herself by fabricating illusionary imitations, but over many years of training she could eventually feel the difference. M.M. would taunt her mercilessly about her obsession of trying to engineer false warmth perfectly. To the shivering Kokuyo gang, anything she produced in the subzero winter was adequate, but she still tried. Finally she's gone to her counterpart, the one who shared her soul, assuming it was some deficiency in her skill. Producing emotions, thoughts, and feelings were among the most difficult feats an illusionist could hope to achieve.

Her hero had gently told her, "some things simply cannot be copied my dearest Nagi."

Her experienced senses recognized that she was then feeling real warmth. It was so soothing she tried to slip back into a deep slumber.

"No, Chrome-chan! You need to wake up so you can eat something!" Protested a sweet voice. Chrome's good eye fluttered open to a trio of worried girls hovering over her. "You were very weak when you came here," Yuni continued, "did you walk all this way?"

Chrome tried to speak but only managed to push a rattling breath of air from her parched throat. She lifted a hand to touch her cracked lips, but something caught her wrist before she raised her fingers more than a few centimeters. Without shifting her head she lowered her gaze and saw a set of handcuffs binding her to the hospital bed she rested in. The hard metal was already breaking open her skin.

"We're so sorry Chrome-chan," Kyoko sighed. "Bianchi-san thought you might be an imposter, so she said until we get Tsuna's hyper intuition to confirm your identity we have no choice."

"But we know it's really you!" Haru chimed in. "Some things just can't be faked," she assured her.

_Some things simply cannot be copied…_

A genuine smile spread across her face. Her friends understood as well. She may not shy away from kindness anymore, but she still struggled to respond in any way but being flustered.

"Tsuna-san will be conscious again any time now," said Kyoko, glancing a few beds down. "The boys are so rough sometimes!"

"It wasn't us!" The newly awakened Gokudera objected indignantly.

"Be quiet baka!" Demanded Haru heatedly.

"I think someone needs some attention," Yuni whispered when Haru stalked over to his side. Kyoko giggled quietly. The beautiful sound stirred her admirer.

"I don't know how much more I can take." Tsuna mumbled "I'm gonna die one day because of all this!" Kyoko hurried over to his side trying to comfort the wailing brunette. When she stood she revealed the illusionist's purple hair.

"Chrome?" Tsuna instantly forgot what he was lamenting and straightened up. "When did you get here?"

"So it's really her?" A cool voice drawled.

"Yes," affirmed the mafia boss. "There's no doubt tha—Heiiii! Hibari-san!"

The cloud guardian stood in the doorway, irritated that he had to mingle with such an herbivorous crowd to retrieve his box weapon. Curse the Bucking Bronco. He'd swiped it off the prefect on his beloved Bianchi's request. Hibari had been chasing the Chiavarone boss when the idiot Mafioso had incapacitated them both with his whip. Useless unless he was in a crowd of his herbivores, pathetic. While the two untangled themselves Bianchi had scooped up her prize from where it had skidded to a halt and disappeared down the hall. His box weapon wasn't a junk seat of handcuffs to be used in restraining every bothersome delinquent. Hibari ground his teeth.

_Heiiii! He's going to bite us all to death!_ Thought Tsuna upon seeing what appeared to be Hibari sharpening his fangs. The oh-so-manly boss promptly fainted back into the plush pillows his loving nurse stacked around him. Hibari raised an unamused eyebrow at the couple and turned his attention back to his target. He had eyes only for his weapon until he noticed who they were attached to.

In the light hospital gown Chrome's fragility was impossible to overlook. Her skin wasn't just pale, it was a sickly white with rich black and purple botches around the main arteries. This made her dark stand out even more shockingly. Fresh scratches were etched on the soles of her feet and palms of her hands. Whoever had dressed her almost removed her ever-present eye patch. Had they been alone he'd have been sorely tempted to push back her bangs and see what she kept so vigilantly hidden.

"Hi-Hibari-san?" Yuni ventured daringly from Chrome's side. The black haired man stiffened when he realized he'd been staring and snatched back his handcuffs. He became even more irritated when he caught himself noticing how Chome's delicate blue veins pulsed with each beat of her heart.

"An empty puppet." He spat more to himself than to anyone else before exiting the room.


	4. Little Gifts

Little Gifts

In the next five days Chrome was lovingly cared for by the whole family. They all contributed in their own…unique way. Tsuna visited regularly, though Chrome suspected that more often than not he was looking for a convenient sanctuary to hide in from one raging Mafioso or another. He assured her that she was welcome and it was no trouble at all for her to stay.

"It's just," he stammered shyly, "we weren't expecting you that is. So you your room isn't done yet."

Lambo frequented the medical facilities almost as much as his boss. His stays were usually more extended though, and as her roommate since he usually landed himself in the bed next to her for not being able to escape after pushing someone too far. Almost every time he was dragged in, wailing, by Gokudera, who threw the boy as far away from him as possible with the loving parting words of, "piss me off again and I'll kill you next time you stupid cow."

Bianchi came to her rescue more than once whenever "that disgusting womanizing" Dr. Shamal entered to check on her progress. Her external injuries had healed quite nicely, but her main problem was still malnutrition and an overall weak constitution. When the doctor suggested she stay a while longer to be safe and to get her strength up Bianchi chased him out screaming "pervert!" Chrome made it half way down the hall, blanket trailing behind her, before she got the poisonous cook's attention to insist that it was ok and that she didn't have a room yet anyway.

The blanket was a beloved gift from Kyoko, Haru, and Yuni. The girls brought her lunch every day and stayed to eat with her. Each time there was a small selection of sushi that the girls told her was from Yamamoto. When the plates were cleared they happily chatted away and each knitted sections of thick indigo and silver yarn. Chrome was happy to just listen and watch. After a few days though she ventured to ask what they were making just as they tied off the last knot and folded it gently.

"For you," they said as they presented it to her, gleaming.

"It's a welcoming present. You can use it when your room is done and you have a bed. We thought you should have something of your own since you didn't come here with anything," Yuni explained further when Chrome continued to look at them blankly, stunned. She then held the soft blanket to her face to hide that her eye had begun misting over.

"Arigato gozaimasu," she murmured into her welcoming gift.

On the third night of her stay the disastrous engineering team came to install what they called sun-lamps over each bed. It hadn't taken her long to become wary of anything the trio of geniuses invented. Ryohei's insistence that they were perfectly safe didn't ease her mind either since he wasn't the most credible source in any matter except boxing. No worries remain after he'd lit the sun-lamp above her bed though. Warm, healing flames washed over her even in her sleep, and the boxer dropped in every evening to relight the sun flames. He couldn't have any idea what true warmth meant to her. He had no way of knowing how much that small act touched her heart.

"Wait, Sasagawa-san!" she called as he was leaving one night.

"Yes Chrome-chan?" He thundered, sending a tray of medical supplies clattering to the floor as he turned. She timidly tip-toed up to him and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"Arigato gozaimasu," she whispered to the floor before scurrying back to her bed. The moment she turned her back the scarlet faced boxer ran hollering incoherently down the hall. In the years since they'd met he hadn't learned to deal with girls any better, let alone girls who gave kisses as greetings or as ways of expressing gratitude. The blush was just settling from her cheeks from his reaction when the door swung open one more time.

_Even at midnight_ she thought. _Never a moment's peace. _She contemplated this fondly rather than with exasperation. The endless company and liveliness of the Vongola wore her out she'd admit, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Tsk." I soft sound of discontent from the door. The outline of a tall figure stepped forward into the glow of the nearest sun-lamp illuminating his jet-black hair and the wicked glint in his onyx eyes.

_How bothersome_ he thought upon discovering the room's other occupant staring at him with one wide violet eye. She'd removed her eye patch again, letting her bangs fall to cover half of her face. He was immediately convinced she'd done it to purposefully irk him by jabbing at his curiosity a second time. It was really much more innocent, she'd taken it off to sleep as always.

_What am I thinking? _He growled menacingly, giving Chrome a start, leaving her to only imagine what he could be thinking. _Someone as pathetic as her can't stop me from getting something I want._

He stalked over to her without hesitation. She never took her eyes off him as she pressed herself further back into her pillows, trying to put as much distance from her and his instance stare. When he leaned over her and rose his hand his intention became clear and she cringed.

With more confidence that almost anything else she did she reached desperately for her eye patch. The cloud guardian had anticipated this though, and slammed his hand over hers, pinning it to her nightstand. Without missing a beat he roughly grabbed and fistful of her hair and pulled it crudely aside, yanking her head in that direction as well. She flinched at the contact more than the pain. For one long moment they were both silent, and then the prefect let out a strange sound, a cross between a scoff and a harsh laugh.

"Clever," he smirked. He released her purple hair from his death grip to let fall back over her face, and the illusionary eye she'd created at the last moment. He continued smirking because in her haste she'd colored her second eye black instead of a matching violet.

"I'm a very light sleeper," he said in a clipped tone. "If you wake me up I'll bite you to death."

She nodded mutely. _He must not have a room either_ she thought as he settled himself in to the bed closed to the door. _Since he doesn't live here with everyone. He still comes sometime to fight maybe._

Hibari adjusted himself into the most uncomfortable and ridged sleeping position imaginable_. At least she's not loud like those other herbivores_ he thought before immediately drifting to sleep.

When Chrome woke up the next morning she was alone again. She groped around on her bedside table to put her eye patch back on, but her fingers knocked against a small box instead. She rubbed the grogginess out of her eye and sat up. The room looked neater somehow. It was small things, like each medicine bottle being lined up perfectly as if they were soldiers standing at attention. Shamal certainly didn't care enough to keep his supplies so organized. She returned her attention back to the little box placed meticulously on her nightstand. She cupped it in her hands transferring it to her lap. Uncertainly she tugged at the ribbon holding the box together and slowly lifted the lid.

Resting neatly inside was a new, solid black eye patch.


	5. Alone

Alone

Finally the day Chrome was allowed to be discharged had arrived. She was more nervous than she'd expected though, and her old shyness was creeping back into her mind tenfold. After she realized that she'd have to leave the comfort of the medical room and expand her world to include the whole base she sat a full thirty minutes in her bed clutching her blanket and trying to work up the nerve to step out of her temporary holding facility. To make this place her new home.

The longer she sat still the tighter her cycle of anxiety twisted. Each tick of the clock became thunderous and ever laugh from just beyond the door made her start. Finally, just as tears threatened to drop from her lashes, she bundled up her things with the intention of going back to Kokuyo Land. It seemed like a good, comforting idea until she reached the door and hovered a moment longer.

_Everyone…I'll miss them. _

She shook her head and returned to her bed. She started at the ceiling, fidgeted with her new eye patch, and finally burrowed herself under her beloved blanket. _It smells like my family,_ she though. The comforting smell slowed her heartbeat and evened her breathing. Just when she thought she'd be waiting in the medical room for the rest of her life someone came to get her. The same person, in fact, who had pulled her out of her room and into the family the first time.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Chrome-chan." Chimed a musical voice in perfectly fluent Japanese. A slim figure with two long, black braids bowed in greeting.

"I-Pin!" Chrome toppled to the floor in her haste to get out of bed, ashamed to be found hiding in such a non-threatening situation.

"Ah, gomennasai, I didn't mean to startle you!" After the almost-assassin helped Chrome back to her feet they stared at each other silently for a moment, drinking in how much each had changed.

"It's…been so long." Chrome volunteered eventually. "You're…as tall as me now." She blushed, wanting to communicate her joy at seeing her first friend again, but not being able to.

I-Pin smiled compassionately when she noticed Chrome's discomfort. She pulled a small dumping from her robe, holding out her hand and presenting it to the illusionist. With the simple gesture she offered sanctuary, and a friend. There was no pressure, no insistence that Chrome come out of her shell in any hurry, just an offer if she chose to accept it. A strong sense of _déjà vu_ tore through the mist guardian's mind as she remembered that critical turning point all those years ago so eerily similar to this one. Even as a five-year-old I-Pin had been mature and wise beyond her years, knowing just what to do, just what to offer.

The pair munched on their buns quietly. A peaceful silence descended upon them with both having a mutual understanding with the other that there was no need to speak. They were both lost on their own separate paths of memories.

"I'm going to the training field to practice martial arts with Colonello-senpai," I-Pin mentioned casually. "I'm a little rusty since I took all that time off for school." Chrome nodded mutely, picking at the crumbs that had fallen onto her skirt. "I know that Dino could use your help in the environmental arena with some construction," the girl continued.

Chrome stopped avoiding eye contact and looked at her questioningly. "An illusionist could give the team an idea of what the arena will look like when it's done so they can see if the dimensions are right," I-Pin explained. "Dino is just supervising, but I know he gets frustrated when the engineers stop so often check their calculations even though they're always right the first time." When Chrome dropped her gaze again I-Pin put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'll walk with you there if you want to go."

* * *

"This will be so much less work than writing everything out ourselves!" Giannini sang ecstatically as Chrome held up her illusion of the completed arena.

"And less time consuming," Dino added pointy to the mechanic, but Giannini didn't notice at all.

"We'll be using some real illusion technology to simulate the different environments of course, never know when you're going to end up in a fight! So far we have enough data and blueprints for a dessert, a tundra, a jungle, a forest, a city street, but we can always add another setting once we get the foundation…"

Giannini continued to chatter away excitedly about all the features of his masterpiece design and Chrome's attention began to wander. She noticed a group of Dino's subordinates filed in to help with the physical construction. The workers all wore hardhats and C or D class flame rings.

"Is that the mist guardian?" One of the men asked under his breath to his companion.

"She's wearing the Vongola ring," answered his friend.

"I know, but that man in Vendicare Prison is the real guardian isn't he?"

_The real guardian. _Even though she knew the truth to that statement the words still stung her. Tsuna had promised her a home, she assured herself. _Some things can't be faked._ He remembered Haru's kind words. She was real to her family.

"I hope maintaining the illusion for so long won't be too tiring," Giannini said. "If you need to rest just let us know. Building will take more than a few hours even with all this help."

"Oh, of course." Chrome nodded, letting her thoughts fade to the back of her mind. She'd need all her concentration to create such a large illusion over such a long period of time. The moment she cast the image she felt the flames draining out of her, but the satisfaction of being useful was more powerful.

"Amazing!" Giannini exclaimed.

"Wow," agreed Dino. Even his two subordinates who had deemed her the substitute guardian were enthralled with the sheer magnitude of the illusion.

"Hmph." A much less impressed voice. Hibari had magically appeared again as he seemed to do quite often.

"You promised me a fight, bronco." He directed his accusatory tone to Dino completely oblivious to, or completely ignoring, the startled and frightened stares he was receiving from everyone else. "You're not trying to run away from me are you? I still haven't bitten you to death for taking my box weapon."

"Ah yes…" Dino paled under the prefect's critical stare. "I…well, I need to supervise this…"

"We can take it from here." Spanner and Shoichi walked in almost completely hidden by the electronic equipment that weighed them down. "Verde just dropped off his machines, he said he had to go and meet someone so he took off faster than we expected, that's why we ended up being able to make it."

"Probably Mukuro," Dino acknowledged. "They developed the technology together after all, and he gets out of prison today doesn't he?"

Hibari ground his teeth at the mention of his arch enemy, but that went unnoticed since Chrome's illusion shattered at the same time.

"You didn't know?" Dino's voice didn't reach the girl though. She was long gone. She didn't react with delight as the group would have expected, but with terror.

_They won't need me anymore. _Was all she could think. She sucked the stale air into her lungs so fast there was a sharp pain behind her eyes and her vision began to blur.

_Alone. _She felt searing electricity burning through her body.

_Alone. Alone. Alone. _Black flames flickered at the tips of each of her fingers.

_Alonealonealonealonealonealonealonealonealonealone alonealonealonealonealonealonealonealonealonealone . _With each repetition of the dreaded word the black flames pulsed stronger.

_What's happening?_ She couldn't get enough breath. _No! Breath, Mukuro-sama warned me…to close my heart._ Time moved listlessly, like a music box coming to the end of its song. Chrome saw Hibari glance behind him then twist around. She could detect every change in his face that she knew took only microseconds. The complete transformation from mild interest to…lust?

"Could it be?" his voice came from far away. "_Carnivore._" The word fell like a stone from his mouth shattering the ice over her vision right before it went dark.


	6. A Broken Flame

A Broken Flame

A shot rang through the practice arena and the break buzzer cut through the resulting silence.

"I said no guns!" Lal roared as he stormed onto the field. She threw her clipboard to the ground with such force that most of it ended up imbedded into the hard packed soil with only a corner poking out. "Flames only!" The students looked around at each other hoping to identify the offender. I-Pin held up her hands, palms up, as if to say _don't look at me I'm not even using flames._ Colonello strode over to Lal and whispered urgently to her.

"Are we under attack?" Asked Yamamoto. Tsuna did a quick sweep with his hyper intuition.

"I don't think so." he reported to the crowed that had gathered around him. "But there's an abnormal concentration of emotion near the unfinished arena." His face fell and then twisted into a determined frown. "I can't tell what it is though." He looked harder trying to identify what the commotion was about. He immediately stumbled back, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

"What is it Tsuna?" Yamamoto could recognize his friend's reaction to pain by now.

"Its blinding." he breathed. "What on earth is going on?"

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Screamed Dino wrestling a gun away from one of this subordinates.

"Those…those flames have an evil aura!" All augments stopped when Hibari moved to stand directly in front of the illusionist.

"Dokuro-san." Not quite a question. More like a flat statement. When she remained silent, head handing, Hibari roughly forced Chrome's chin up so she'd have no choice but to look into his eyes. Before he could meet her gaze she pivoted and, using the momentum from her spin, drove her elbow into his stomach.

Hibari could have easily blocked had he been expecting anything of the sort, but as the situation was he went sliding back three meters. While he didn't see the blow coming, he recovered himself fast enough to keep his balance and draw his weapons. Hibari started hungrily at the girl across from him.

_As I suspected._ He licked his lips.

Her shoulder-length hair was now an inky black. Her one violet eye fluttered as it might normally, but her other coal black eye started at its opponent with a dead gaze. Black flames engulfed the mist guardian as her trident materialized in her hand. As soon as it was in her grasp she charged at Hibari, and with a flourish of her weapon began their deadly fight.

This time he was ready for the strike. What he was not ready for was the power behind it. Their weapons interlocked with a clang separating their faces by only a few centimeters. The cloud guardian whispered in her ear "such an obvious attack is for show, not pain. You need discipline with power. Without that you can never hope to beat me." He swept the girls legs out from under her (regardless of her new-found strength she still weighed little over a hundred pounds) and swung his tonfa at her jaw. While she was spitting the blood from her mouth he raised his tonfas again for the finishing blow, but before it could land sharp talons tore at his face causing him to retreat.

_When did she open her box weapon? _He mused as he watched the bird take flight. Something seemed different about it though, aside from the obvious color change from bleached white to shadowy black. It became clear when the bird turned to face him after settling back to its perch on Chrome's shoulder. It wasn't the wide orbs of an owl that blinked back at him from across the room, but the beady red eyes of a raven.

_The symbol of death._ He thought as it let out a piercing shriek. The shrill sound was enough to intimidate the rest of the subordinates and remaining mafia members to evacuate, but the cloud guardian resumed his stance again, preparing for another attack. Chrome rose her hands, allowing the mist to reclaim her trident, and Hibari took the opportunity to strike at her exposed abdomen. His blow landed with a satisfying thud that slammed the girl into the wall behind her. The black haired man advanced a second time to end the fight.

"No use." Her voice didn't tremble or quake. There were no traces left of the shy, sweet quality it had held before. This voice was wicked and hard. His eyes widened as he remembered his countless battles with illusionists and what it meant when they forsook their weapons and raised their arms. She'd been creating an illusion.

She'd made a vacuumed and trapped him inside. Not a single molecule of oxygen remained in the air around him. Illusionary barriers kept it out. The world started to slow down to a sluggish pace. His mind was racing, keeping up with life speed, but time had left him behind, becoming listless. He felt himself sink as if through water. With the sudden loss of coordination Hibari's tonfas fell from her hands clattering at his feet. He felt himself begin to sway and braced himself for the slam of impact. But there was only a painless wave of shock when he fell alongside his weapons. The last thing he heard was the distant thud of his body before all his senses were cut off.


	7. Until You Can't Stand

Until You Can't Stand

Chrome – or some vaguely familiar memory of the girl – loomed over Hibari's slumped and motionless form. Her shadow warped and writhed on the wall behind her, undecided. She cocked her head to the side slightly, a painfully familiar mannerism of the sweet mist guardian, as if deciding what to do with her foe now that she'd incapacitated him. With a sneer she kicked his fallen weapons away and kneeled down next to him, black flames still pouring from her. Her heart slowed. The threat was gone.

_Is it really? _Mocked her shadow.

_Stop… _she begged, crumpling next to her opponent.

The tonfas had skittered to a stop at the feet of a petrified mafia boss who had dashed to the site of the disturbance from the training field almost as soon as he detected it.

_What is your despair truly born of?_ Challenged the shadow.

"No!" She wailed.

"C-Chrome?" Tsuna breathed. "What–?"

Suddenly the sobs were cut off and she snapped her head to face him, a venomous smile splashed across her face. With one fluid motion she spun to her feet again, any traces of former weakness eradicated from her face. Tsuna felt his fingers begin to tingle with the heat of his sky flame. Somewhere inside him he, and his flame, knew that he might have to defend himself.

_No._ He pushed the building energy down even as she stalked over to him. _Chrome is my –_

"Family!" Cried Yuni. She had rushed over when she'd recognized a disruption in Chrome's familiar flame as well (Tsuna wasn't the only sky-flame user in the vicinity after all). "We are your family Chrome-chan! There's nothing to protect yourself from here!"

"Yuni, she can't hear us," said Tsuna, eyes glowing orange. "I don't think she can hear anyone right now."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Yuni stood her ground. Chrome was getting closer, her trident materializing in her open palm again. "I brought someone who can help."

"You don't mean–?" Tsuna began to ask, alarmed, but Chrome was already upon them.

"Yuni! Get behind me!" Tsuna commanded as Chrome rose her weapon to strike. At the same time he threw up his arms and shouted "Natsu! Cambio forma! Modo difesa!"

But there was no need. A blue mist rapidly gathered behind Chrome and quickly arranged itself into – who else – Mukuro Rokudo. His arm shot out in front of the girl, seizing her face first, and harshly pulled back; dragging the featherweight guardian into his chest. His hand covered almost her entire face, smothering her.

"I'm so sorry," whispered the newly freed man to his captive as she kicked and clawed. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you avoid this. I'm sorry someone like me can't teach you love…so since I can't you'll just have to keep fighting."

He thrust her away from him roughly. "Fight until you can't stand."

She hissed, driven only by blind emotion – or maybe desperate avoidance of it, and her one black eye began flipping through the paths of hell. The partner of her soul gazed at her miserably, longingly.

"My target is your sanity," she spat.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled softly. "The Estraneo Family beat you to that one." He made a fist with the fingers his rings of hell decorated. His ability to use them was born the first day he'd been experimented on. "I just hope it's not too late for yours."

"It's never too late," Yuni murmured. "I shouldn't have asked you to fight your own…" she was lost for words for a moment, not known exactly how to refer to Chrome in relation to Mukuro. "I shouldn't have asked you for help." She said louder.

"You think I came because you said to?" Mukuro's voice was dripping with menace. "Don't forget who you're talking to, _princess_."

Yuni regarded him with a hint of sadness, and he had the disturbing impression that she was looking into his very soul. Without warning, she threw aside her robe and charged at the mist guardian. Not the one who had delivered the almost-threat, but the one who had been ready for the almost-attack. Chrome didn't have time to react, or even process what was happening before Yuni had her arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace. Stunned, he anguished girl stood frozen.

"We love you," whispered Yuni. "We love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you we love you," she chanted. Each repetition slowly blocked out the mantra of "alone alone alone" that was still shredding through Chrome's mind. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell heavily into Yuni's embrace. In the instance the retained consciousness afterwards, two violet eyes fluttered, and then closed.

Yuni looked up meaningfully at Mukuro. "I should have seen how much you loathed the idea of really fighting her."

* * *

_Am I unconscious? _Hibari had to actually think about it for a moment before realizing he couldn't be if he were thinking. _This won't do. _If he were capable he would have frowned._ I'll bite everyone to death... _He struggled with his thoughts trying to retrieve some of his former fearful character. Despite his best efforts, it was hard to think clearly or quickly with an invisible weight pressing down on every inch of him. He felt heavy, like he was still plunging on forever in this new void. Slight concern started to set in when the heavy gravity on his chest registered and he wondered if he was breathing or not. How long has it been? He had no way of telling if only a few moments had passed or a whole year.

First the weight was slowly lifted, and then footsteps boomed. Voices echoed to such a degree words were incomprehensible. He could almost make some of them out. Something about fighting until you can't stand. _But I already know that._ Slowly colors bloomed in front of him again. _Yes!_ Hibari seized the little control he had of his body and pushed to bring the colors into focus, but agony pressed from behind his eyes. Mildly impatient and frustrated he released the tension again and simply waited as he knew he must.

_That vessel…_his thoughts wandered. _I want to fight her again. _

And Hibari Kyoya himself couldn't tell you if that was because of his lust for fighting, or his developing affection for the opponent in question.


	8. Oasis

The base was suspiciously quite, as if the residence were too stunned or too afraid to make their usual ruckus. No explosions in the hall ways, no food fights in the kitchen, no proclamations of undying hatred echoing through the air ducts. The only thing that broke the eerie tranquility was a solemn storm guardian marching gravely to the communications room with a frenzied brunette screeching behind him.

"I want to come to the meeting!" Haru wailed. "Chrome-chan is Haru's friend desuyo!"

"Be quiet, woman," growled the Italian, with less menace than usual since more concerning matters were occupying his thoughts. Haru took advantage of his averted attention to strike again.

"What are you going to do to her? Lock her up? Kick her out? I thought this is a safe place for family!"

Here she struck a nerve. Gokudera spun to face Haru too quickly for her to stop storming after him. Their heads smacked together with a clumsy thud.

"This is a safe place!" Gokudera shouted rubbing his forehead. "You should know that better than anyone. I gave it my all to make sure it was this way…for you, you ungrateful woman!" As soon as he noticed his tone softening he went into a rage again. Heaven forbid the delinquent storm guardian have a soft spot for anyone other than his boss.

"I am…grateful," Haru blushed. "It's because of you I have a place to stay, I know that."

Dumbfounded that his fiery lover actually relented and agreed with him on something, all Gokudera could blurt out was "this is a sanctuary."

The pair came to a stop at a set of reinforced metal doors. Before the storm guardian could escape Haru yanked him toward her by his tie and smothered him with a kiss.

"So make sure it stays a sanctuary – for the whole family," challenged Haru, pushing him into the emergency meeting. "I'm counting on you to represent me in there!"

_I'll do what I must to protect you. I didn't make this home for nothing, _he thought as he turned his back and the doors slid closed behind him.

* * *

"I demand to know what's going on!" said Tsuna in a rare, commanding tone.

"Watch your tongue, or I might just make you choke on it," Mukuro countered in a deadly voice. The kanji numeral six decorated his left iris.

"So much as look at juudaime with that filthy eye of yours and I'll carve it out," threatened Gokudera.

"Enough!" Lal to the rescue. Sill traumatized from their last encounter, most of the family immediately shut up and the rest followed suit. The mafia members gathered included all the guardians and former arcobaleno Tsuna could round up on short notice. After a moment of tense silence the ex-arcobaleno boss spoke in a soft yet authoritative voice.

"Mukuro-san, I do believe you can shed some light on the situation," Yuni turned to the Kokuyo boss who was seated beside her. His eye morphed from the Realm of Heavens to the Realm of Hell.

"I entrusted her to you," his words were condescending, disdainful, arrogant as usual. "As I expected, you failed."

"That outrageous!" fumed the bomber, who was getting close to the end of his fuse just listening to another mafia boss insult his idol. "We don't take orders from you, and even if we did, how could we succeed if we weren't aware of a task in the first–" a pointed look from Lal cut him off.

"Perhaps if you showed them…" Yuni began suggesting. Before she could finish though, all the room's occupants were swept into a powerful illusion: a memory.

* * *

"Spying?"

A small, previously invisible figure appeared curled up next to the door of the communications room. While her body showed clear signs of the earlier battle, all traces of ferocity were gone. She didn't answer the question directed at her, she just kept staring straight ahead, not affirming or denying the accusation. For a moment they were both still and silent, listening to the clamor on the other side of the wall.

"You know they're deciding your fate in there?" he deadpanned. She started and met his aloof gaze before he snapped his eyes away. The last thing he wanted was to fall under another spell, illusionary or feminine. "And you're just going to take whatever's coming to you, aren't you? How disappoint–"

When he rolled his eyes back to look at Chrome she was gone and the communication room doors were swinging behind her.

"Please don't make me leave bosu!" he heard her pleas echo. "Please forgive me, I…"

Hibari swooped in behind her to face an empty room. Chairs and papers looked as if they'd been tossed around by a tornado, and one half-finish mug of tea sat steaming on the table, but other than that there was no sign of activity or occupation.

"Boring," grunted Hibari. He was actually looking quite forward to the meeting. He'd rather eat vegetables for a week than admit he was disappointed about the bizarre disappearance of any herbivores though. He hadn't been invited on account of his passing comatose condition, but if there was one trait that was most powerful in him it was stubbornness. What drove his stubbornness on this occasion was something almost as powerful though: curiosity.

_I don't need answers from pathetic weaklings anyway_ he thought. _I'll get them on my own._

"Dokuro-san." He put two heavy hands on her shoulders to bring her attention away from the abandoned room. She flinched again at the unexpected contact, but didn't draw away. Had she not been so distraught, she may have found the odd sound of the raven haired man's voice amusing. The cloud guardian wasn't very good at tones beyond disinterest or menace. Whatever he was attempting at now she could only guess.

"Join me for tea." A demand. When she didn't resist, he led the dazed girl away by her hand.


End file.
